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Back Pain and Its Causes
1.)
Strains and Sprains
When muscles of the lumbar spine
rip and tear, this is what is referred to as muscle strain.
This result from carrying or lifting a heavy load, with the back
muscles, either not well warmed up or is not strong enough to take
on the weight. When the injury is on the ligaments, this is a
sprain. This happens when there is an overstretching of said
ligaments that causes tear.
Strains and sprains often occur
together. Both injuries are collectively called as
musculoligamentous injuries. These are usually brought about by
many reasons as poor posture, excess body weight, inappropriate
intense exercise regimen, heavy lifting and improper lifting
techniques.
While some may immediately
experience the pain and soreness, others feel it around two to three
hours when irritation sets in. The spasm experienced, which prevents
one from moving freely, is the body’s way of immobilizing the
injured area to prevent any more damage to it.
2.) Ruptured
Intervertebral Disc
A ruptured disc or what is also
referred to as a herniated disc or a slipped disc, is one in which a
disc is pushed outside its normal place. In this case the spinal
nerves and the spinal cord for that matter become pinched. Usually
this situation happens when one encounters an accident, or makes a
dangerous fall.
Below
are the different classifications:
-
Disc protrusion
– This results when the intervertebral disc bulges out without
causing tear on the annulus fibrosis. This annulus
fibrosis is the disc’s fibrous outer envelope – as opposed to
the nucleus pulposus that is the soft center of the disc.
-
Disc extrusion
– This occurs when the nucleus pulposus leaks out due to a
tear in the annulus fibrosis.
-
Disc prolapse
– A sudden increase in pressure that injures the outer fibrous
ring and causes the jelly-like substance inside to leak out.
-
Sequestrated disc
– This happens when there are disc fragments that become separated
from the disc.
Along with the back pain, this is
also accompanied with leg pains as the thighs and foot. Patients
also experience muscle weakness especially in the ankles since the
signals from the brain are interrupted due to the nerve irritation.
3.)
Spinal Stenosis
This causes back pain due to the
narrowing of the spinal canal. This is a condition common to both
men and women with ages over 50. Also, those who work on labor-intensive
jobs are susceptible to such condition.
This condition may be inherited or
acquired, but is most often due to degenerative arthritis. The bony
formations, the thickening of joint tissues and the degeneration of
the discs narrow the space in the spinal canal, which places
pressure or compression on the spinal cord or the nerve roots.
The back pain caused here may also
go together with pains and numbness in the legs and feet, or arms
and hands – depending on the specific part of the back the
compression takes place. If it is on the neck portion or on the
cervical region – the upper extremities are affected, such as the
arms; if it is on the lower back or on the lumbar region – the lower
extremities are affected, such as the legs.
4.)
Osteoarthritis of the Spine
Arthritis simply defined, is the
inflammation of a joint. One common type is osteoarthritis. This
is a joint disease that affects the hips, knees, back, neck and
hands.
This is often referred to as
degenerative joint disease caused by the wear and tear of the
joint’s tissue or cartilage. This condition is mainly attributed to
the wearing of the cartilage with less repair process. Other few
factors include genetics, age, weight, and previous injuries that
were either brought about by demands of high intensity sports &
exercise, and of jobs requiring strenuous activities.
5.)
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Ankylosing
means causing stiffness to a joint, while spondylitis means
inflammation of the vertebrae or a defect in the vertebra bone. This
leads to mobility loss of the spine and will make it difficult for
one to move.
This is a condition in which the
ligaments and tendons are inflamed. This inflammation damages the
bone. With this, the body naturally heals the damage by growing new
bone for the vertebrae, which becomes fused with the spine. This
fusion as it progresses causes the spine to curve forward through
time.
6.)
Osteoporosis
Often referred to as the silent
disease, because one will not be able to see signs and symptoms
of losing bone mass, but will only realize it after a bone is
broken.
In this case, bone density
decreases thereby weakening the strength of the bone, which leads
one to be susceptible to injuries as fractures. A fractured
vertebrae or spine will cause back pain and may take a good number
of months before it heals.
Having osteoporosis would mean
that one has weaker bones and could not sufficiently support one’s
body weight. Age and gender play a part in the developing
osteoporosis. As one ages, one’s bone mass gradually decreases.
Also, pregnant and lactating women will also experience loss of bone
mass with the increased demands of calcium in their body.
7.)
Fibromyalgia
This condition may cause chronic
back pain due to the inflammation of the connective tissue of one’s
body. There is fatigue experienced by the individual, and this may
last for years.
The degree of pain experienced by
the person concerned may vary over time, and will be made worse with
emotional stress also at play. Other symptoms include having
trouble sleeping, headaches, painful menstrual periods, and numbness
on the extremities.
Also the widespread muscle pain
and the tender points in the body as the neck, shoulder, hips, arms
and legs will feel pain when applied with pressure.
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